Air-cooled refrigerator

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an air-cooled refrigerator, which includes: a cabinet, which defines an evaporator chamber and a refrigerating chamber; an evaporator, which is arranged in the evaporator chamber and is configured to cool the airflow flowing therethrough to form a cooling airflow; a return air duct assembly, which is configured to guide the airflow in the refrigerating chamber to the evaporator; and a cooling air duct assembly, which is configured to flow through the cooling airflow to heat exchange and cool the return air duct assembly. By providing the cooling air duct assembly, the cooling airflow discharged from the evaporator flows through the cooling air duct assembly to heat exchange and cool the return air duct assembly, thereby cooling the return air, making the internal temperature of the return air duct below the dew point temperature, making the air with high humidity recovered from the refrigerating chamber condense in the return air duct, reducing the humidity of the air in the return air duct, and then reducing the frost rate of water vapor on the evaporator, increasing the defrosting cycle time, reducing the defrosting frequency, reducing the energy consumption of the refrigerator, and saving the user's use cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air-cooled refrigerator. Background Art

[0002] The statements herein merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0003] Current refrigerators are generally categorized as air-cooled and direct-cooled, depending on their cooling method. Compared to direct-cooled refrigerators, air-cooled refrigerators offer significant advantages, such as reduced temperature fluctuations, greater temperature uniformity, and the absence of manual defrosting. Consequently, air-cooled refrigerators are increasingly gaining market share. However, during the cooling process, air in the compartment passes through the low-temperature evaporator, where water vapor condenses as frost.

[0004] Currently, air-cooled refrigerators have an automatic defrost function. This function is achieved by heating a heating tube or wire near the evaporator, which heats up the chamber and melts the frost into water, which is then discharged through a water pipe. Furthermore, sensors and a control panel automatically activate the heater to achieve automatic defrosting after a fixed defrost cycle or when the chamber temperature reaches a certain level. However, this method of heating the heating tube with strong electricity increases the refrigerator's energy consumption. Currently, the most common energy-saving methods mainly rely on more accurate algorithms to calculate the defrost cycle or use sensing methods to control the heater's on and off to reduce unnecessary defrosting processes, but this still results in additional energy consumption. Summary of the Invention

[0005] A technical problem to be solved by the present disclosure is that the automatic defrosting of an air-cooled refrigerator results in high energy consumption. Based on this, the present disclosure provides an air-cooled refrigerator that can effectively reduce defrosting energy consumption and save user usage costs.

[0006] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide an air-cooled refrigerator, comprising: a cabinet, which defines an evaporator chamber and a refrigeration chamber; an evaporator, arranged in the evaporator chamber, and configured to cool the air flow flowing through to form a cooling air flow; a return air duct assembly, configured to guide the air flow in the refrigeration chamber to the evaporator; and a cooling air duct assembly, which is configured to allow the cooling air flow to flow through to perform heat exchange and cooling on the return air duct assembly.

[0007] In some embodiments, the return air duct assembly and the cooling air duct assembly are independently provided.

[0008] In some embodiments, the outer contour of the cooling duct assembly is configured to be snapped onto the outer wall of the return duct assembly and maintain a seal.

[0009] In some embodiments, a plurality of ribs are provided inside the cooling air duct assembly to form a continuous curved flow channel.

[0010] In some embodiments, it further includes a cold storage component attached to the inner wall of the return air duct assembly, and the cold storage component is located at a position of the return air duct assembly corresponding to the cooling air duct assembly.

[0011] In some embodiments, a drainage hole is formed at the bottom of the return air duct assembly, and a backflow prevention mechanism is provided at the drainage hole.

[0012] In some embodiments, the backflow prevention mechanism is configured as a downwardly curved S-shaped pipe or a U-shaped pipe.

[0013] In some embodiments, the return air duct assembly includes a return air inlet, a long return air duct, a bend joint, a short return air duct and a return air outlet in sequence along the air flow direction. The return air outlet is connected to the inlet of the evaporator chamber, and the outer wall of the cooling duct assembly is attached to the outer wall of the long return air duct.

[0014] In some embodiments, the air inlet of the cooling air duct assembly is communicated with the outlet of the evaporator chamber, and the air outlet of the cooling air duct assembly is communicated with the inlet of the evaporator chamber.

[0015] In some embodiments, the air-cooled refrigerator also includes: a humidity sensor, arranged at the return air inlet of the return air duct assembly; a first temperature sensor, arranged at the return air inlet of the return air duct assembly; a second temperature sensor, arranged at a position in the air duct of the return air duct assembly corresponding to the cooling air duct assembly; and a controller, configured to: calculate the dew point temperature Td based on the relative humidity RH detected by the humidity sensor and the return air temperature T1 detected by the first temperature sensor, and turn on the cooling air duct assembly when the air duct temperature T2 detected by the second temperature sensor is greater than the dew point temperature Td, and turn off the cooling air duct assembly when the air duct temperature T2 detected by the second temperature sensor is less than or equal to the dew point temperature Td.

[0016] In the technical solution disclosed in the present invention, a cooling air duct component is provided, and the cooling air flow discharged from the evaporator flows through the cooling air duct component to perform heat exchange and cooling on the return air duct component, thereby cooling the return air, so that the internal temperature of the return air duct is below the dew point temperature, and the air with high humidity recovered from the cold room condenses in the return air duct, thereby reducing the water vapor content in the return air and reducing the amount of water vapor contacting the evaporator per unit time, thereby reducing the frosting rate of the evaporator, increasing the defrost cycle time, reducing the defrost frequency, reducing the energy consumption of the refrigerator, and saving user usage costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a return air duct assembly in some embodiments of the air-cooled refrigerator disclosed herein;

[0019] Figures 2 to 4 They are schematic structural diagrams of the cooling air duct assembly in different viewing angles in some embodiments of the air-cooled refrigerator disclosed herein;

[0020] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the flow channel in the cooling air duct assembly in some embodiments of the air-cooled refrigerator disclosed herein;

[0021] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the assembly of a return air duct assembly and a cooling air duct assembly in some embodiments of the air-cooled refrigerator disclosed herein;

[0022] Figure 7 is an exploded view of the return air duct assembly and the cooling air duct assembly in some embodiments of the air-cooled refrigerator disclosed herein;

[0023] Figure 8 is an assembly cross-sectional view of a return air duct assembly and a cooling air duct assembly in some embodiments of the air-cooled refrigerator disclosed herein;

[0024] Figure 9 Schematic diagrams of the assembly of some embodiments of the air-cooled refrigerator disclosed herein;

[0025] Figure 10 is a side cross-sectional view of the complete assembly of some embodiments of the air-cooled refrigerator disclosed herein;

[0026] Figure 11 It is a front cross-sectional view of the complete assembly of some embodiments of the air-cooled refrigerator disclosed herein.

[0027] Description of Reference Numerals

[0028] 1. Evaporator chamber; 2. Refrigeration chamber; 3. Refrigeration ventilation duct; 4. Evaporator; 5. Fan; 11. Return air duct assembly; 12. Cooling air duct assembly; 13. Cold storage component; 14. Cooling return air duct; 15. Anti-backflow mechanism; 111. Return air inlet; 112. Long return air duct; 113. Drain hole; 114. Elbow joint; 115. Short return air duct; 116. Return air outlet; 121. Air inlet; 122. Air outlet; 123. Rib. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The description of the exemplary embodiments is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or use. The present disclosure can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments herein. These embodiments are provided to make the present disclosure thorough and complete and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of components and steps, the composition of materials, numerical expressions, and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments should be interpreted as being merely exemplary and not as limiting.

[0030] The terms "first", "second" and similar terms used in this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different parts. The terms "include" or "comprises" and similar terms mean that the elements before the term include the elements listed after the term, and do not exclude the possibility of also including other elements. The terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0031] In the present disclosure, when a specific device is described as being located between a first device and a second device, an intervening device may or may not be present between the specific device and the first device or the second device. When a specific device is described as being connected to another device, the specific device may be directly connected to the other device without an intervening device, or may be not directly connected to the other device but with an intervening device.

[0032] All terms used in this disclosure have the same meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs, unless otherwise specifically defined. It should also be understood that terms defined in, for example, common dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or highly formal sense, unless explicitly defined as such herein.

[0033] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0034] Since the refrigerator room is used most frequently by users, and the temperature and humidity in the refrigerator room are high, the dew point temperature of the air recovered from the refrigerator room is high, and the evaporator temperature is much lower than the dew point temperature, resulting in direct frost; while the temperature in the freezer room is low, the water vapor is basically in a condensed state, and the return air from the freezer room is relatively dry and has a low dew point temperature, so no frost will condense when it comes into contact with the evaporator. Therefore, the recovered air from the refrigerator room is the main source of frost on the evaporator.

[0035] Based on this, combined Figures 1 to 11As shown, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide an air-cooled refrigerator, comprising: a cabinet, an evaporator 4, a return air duct assembly 11 and a cooling air duct assembly 12, wherein an evaporator chamber 1, a freezer chamber and a refrigerator chamber 2 are defined in the cabinet; the evaporator 4 is arranged in the evaporator chamber 1, and is configured to cool the air flow passing through to form a cooling air flow, and part of the cooling air flow is transported to the refrigerator chamber 2 through the refrigeration ventilation pipe 3; the return air duct assembly 11 is configured to guide the air flow in the refrigerator chamber 2 to the evaporator 4; the cooling air duct assembly 12 is configured to allow the cooling air flow to flow through to perform heat exchange and cooling on the return air duct assembly 11.

[0036] In this illustrative embodiment, by providing a cooling air duct assembly 12, the cooling air flow discharged from the evaporator 4 flows through the cooling air duct assembly 12 to perform heat exchange cooling on the return air duct assembly 11, thereby cooling the return air, causing the water vapor in the recovered air to condense in the return air duct cooling area A, thereby reducing the water vapor content in the return air and reducing the amount of water vapor contacting the evaporator per unit time, thereby reducing the frosting rate of the evaporator, increasing the defrost cycle time, reducing the defrost frequency, reducing the energy consumption of the refrigerator, and saving user usage costs.

[0037] In some embodiments, as Figure 1 As shown, the return air duct assembly 11 includes a return air inlet 111, a long return air duct 112, an elbow 114, a short return air duct 115, and a return air outlet 116 in the direction of airflow. The return air inlet 111 is connected to the air outlet of the refrigeration chamber 2, and the return air outlet 116 is connected to the inlet of the evaporator chamber 1. The outer wall of the cooling air duct assembly 12 is attached to the outer wall of the long return air duct 112. The cooling air duct assembly 12 is arranged on the long return air duct 112, which increases the contact area of ​​heat exchange and improves cooling efficiency.

[0038] In some embodiments, combined Figures 1 to 8 As shown, the return air duct assembly 11 and the cooling air duct assembly 12 are independently arranged, that is, the return air duct in the return air duct assembly 11 and the cooling air duct in the cooling air duct assembly 12 will only exchange heat in the cooling area, and no airflow exchange will occur.

[0039] In some embodiments, combined Figure 2 、 Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, a fan 5 is provided in the evaporator chamber 1, the air inlet 121 of the cooling air duct assembly 12 is communicated with the outlet of the evaporator chamber 1, and the air outlet 122 of the cooling air duct assembly 12 is communicated with the inlet of the evaporator chamber 1. The fan 5 is configured to blow air for strong convection, blowing the cooling airflow discharged from the evaporator 4 into the cooling air duct assembly 12. The flow direction of the cooling airflow is as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, after heat exchange, the air is discharged from the air outlet 122 to the evaporator chamber 1 and then enters the evaporator 4 for recooling, thereby forming a cold air circulation of the cooling air duct assembly 12.

[0040] like Figures 2 to 8 As shown, in some embodiments, the outer contour of the cooling air duct assembly 12 is configured to be able to fit over the outer wall of the return air duct assembly 11 and remain sealed, which can increase the contact area of ​​heat exchange and improve the cooling efficiency.

[0041] Similarly, if Figures 2 to 5 As shown, in some embodiments, the cooling duct assembly 12 is provided with a plurality of ribs 123 inside to form a continuous curved flow channel. The curved flow channel allows the cooling air flow to flow fully in the cooling duct. The outer shell of the cooling duct assembly 12, the outer wall of the return air duct assembly 11 and the ribs 123 form a closed circulation duct. The flow direction of the cooling air flow is as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, the cooling duct assembly 12 can fully cool the return air duct and improve the cooling efficiency. In some embodiments, the curved flow channel includes an S-shaped flow channel, a return flow channel or a labyrinth flow channel, so that the cooling air flow can fully flow in the cooling duct.

[0042] like Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, in some embodiments, the air-cooled refrigerator further includes a cold storage member 13 attached to the inner wall of the return duct assembly 11. Cold storage member 13 is located at a position on the return duct assembly 11 corresponding to the cooling duct assembly 12, thereby accelerating cooling. In some embodiments, cold storage member 13 comprises cold storage aluminum foil. This thin layer of aluminum foil serves as the primary cooling element for the cooling duct. Aluminum foil has better thermal conductivity than plastic. Placing the cold storage aluminum foil within the return duct concentrates cooling energy within the foil, accelerating cooling.

[0043] like Figure 8 As shown, through the internal and external interaction of the cooling air duct assembly 12 and the cold storage member 13, a concentrated area in the return air duct can be made into the cooling area A.

[0044] In some embodiments, as Figure 6 As shown, the air-cooled refrigerator also includes a cooling return air pipe 14. The air outlet 122 is connected to the return air outlet 116 through the cooling return air pipe 14, and thus connected to the inlet of the evaporator 4. The cooling return air pipe 14 is a hose and has high feasibility.

[0045] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, a drainage hole 113 is formed at the bottom of the return air duct assembly 11. Figure 1 and Figure 8As shown, a backflow prevention mechanism 15 is provided at the drain hole 113. The low temperature of the cold storage member 13 on the inner wall of the return air duct causes water vapor in the recovered air to condense on its surface. Due to gravity and adsorption, the water droplets flow along the inner wall into the drain hole 113 and then into the backflow prevention mechanism 15 through the drain pipe below, preventing the return air from inhaling external air. The condensed water will also be discharged from the refrigerator through the backflow prevention mechanism 15 or recovered for reuse, preventing dripping in the return air duct from affecting the user experience.

[0046] like Figure 8 As shown, in some embodiments, the backflow prevention mechanism 15 is configured as a downwardly curved S-shaped or U-shaped pipe. A portion of the defrost water flows within the S-shaped or U-shaped pipe, thereby sealing the pipe and preventing backflow from drawing in external air. This simple structure offers high feasibility. In other embodiments, the backflow prevention mechanism 15 is configured as a pipe that allows the defrost water to form a closed structure within the pipe, thereby achieving backflow prevention.

[0047] In some embodiments, the air-cooled refrigerator further includes a humidity sensor, a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor, and a controller, wherein the humidity sensor is disposed at the return air inlet 111 of the return air duct assembly 11, for detecting the relative humidity RH at the return air inlet 111; the first temperature sensor is disposed at the return air inlet 111 of the return air duct assembly 11, for detecting the return air temperature T1 at the return air inlet 111; the second temperature sensor is disposed in the air duct of the return air duct assembly 11 at a position corresponding to the cooling air duct assembly 12, for detecting the air duct temperature T2;

[0048] The controller is configured to: calculate the dew point temperature Td based on the relative humidity RH detected by the humidity sensor and the return air temperature T1 detected by the first temperature sensor, and turn on the cooling duct component 12 when the duct temperature T2 detected by the second temperature sensor is greater than the dew point temperature Td, and turn off the cooling duct component 12 when the duct temperature T2 detected by the second temperature sensor is less than or equal to the dew point temperature Td.

[0049] The dew point temperature is related to the ambient pressure, ambient temperature, and relative humidity. Considering that the pressure of the return air duct in the return air duct assembly 11 remains unchanged, the dew point temperature Td can be calculated based on the return air temperature T1 and the return air relative humidity RH. This calculation method is known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail.

[0050] By setting up a humidity sensor, a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor and a controller, the air-cooled refrigerator can controllably adjust the temperature in the return air duct so that the temperature can be dynamically adjusted to the dew point temperature Td, causing the water vapor in the recovered air to condense in the cooling area of ​​the return air duct, thereby achieving the purpose of dehumidification. It also avoids the condensation and ice blocking the return air duct due to excessive cooling, thereby ensuring the circulation stability of the return air duct.

[0051] Thus far, various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail. To avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure, some details known in the art have not been described. Based on the above description, those skilled in the art can fully understand how to implement the technical solutions disclosed herein.

[0052] Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail through examples, those skilled in the art will understand that the above examples are for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the above embodiments may be modified or some technical features may be replaced with equivalents without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An air-cooled refrigerator, characterized in that: include: A box body, which defines an evaporator chamber (1) and a refrigeration chamber (2); an evaporator (4), arranged in the evaporator chamber (1), and configured to cool an airflow flowing therethrough to form a cooling airflow; a return air duct assembly (11) configured to direct the airflow in the refrigerating chamber (2) to the evaporator (4); and A cooling air duct assembly (12) is configured to allow a cooling air flow to flow through the return air duct assembly (11) to perform heat exchange and cooling, wherein an air inlet (121) of the cooling air duct assembly (12) is in communication with an outlet of the evaporator chamber (1), and an air outlet (122) of the cooling air duct assembly (12) is in communication with an inlet of the evaporator chamber (1).

2. The air-cooled refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The return air duct assembly (11) and the cooling air duct assembly (12) are independently arranged.

3. The air-cooled refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer contour of the cooling air duct assembly (12) is configured to be able to fit over the outer wall of the return air duct assembly (11) and maintain a seal.

4. The air-cooled refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cooling air duct assembly (12) is provided with a plurality of ribs (123) inside, which are used to form a continuous curved flow channel.

5. The air-cooled refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also comprises a cold storage component (13) attached to the inner wall of the pipe of the return air duct component (11), wherein the cold storage component (13) is located at a position of the return air duct component (11) corresponding to the cooling air duct component (12).

6. The air-cooled refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: A drainage hole (113) is formed at the bottom of the return air duct assembly (11), and a backflow prevention mechanism (15) is provided at the drainage hole (113).

7. The air-cooled refrigerator according to claim 6, characterized in that: The backflow prevention mechanism (15) is configured as an S-shaped pipe or a U-shaped pipe that bends downward.

8. The air-cooled refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The return air duct assembly (11) comprises, in sequence along the air flow direction, a return air inlet (111), a long return air duct (112), an elbow joint (114), a short return air duct (115), and a return air outlet (116); the return air outlet (116) is communicated with the inlet of the evaporator chamber (1); and the outer wall of the cooling air duct assembly (12) is attached to the outer wall of the long return air duct (112).

9. The air-cooled refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A humidity sensor is arranged at the return air inlet (111) of the return air duct assembly (11); A first temperature sensor is arranged at the return air inlet (111) of the return air duct assembly (11); A second temperature sensor is arranged in the air duct of the return air duct assembly (11) at a position corresponding to the cooling air duct assembly (12); and The controller is configured to: calculate the dew point temperature Td based on the relative humidity RH detected by the humidity sensor and the return air temperature T1 detected by the first temperature sensor, and turn on the cooling air duct component (12) when the air duct temperature T2 detected by the second temperature sensor is greater than the dew point temperature Td, and turn off the cooling air duct component (12) when the air duct temperature T2 detected by the second temperature sensor is less than the dew point temperature Td.

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